Pessary.



o. H. 'sHBPPARn PESSRY.

. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 22, 1909. l l 960,721 Patented Junev, 1910.

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OSBORNE H. SHEPPARD, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO SHARP & SMITH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

PESSARY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 22, 1909.

Patented June '7, 1910. Serial No. 529,218.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, OsBoRNn H. SHEP- PARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Pessaries, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in the class of inflated pessaries, formed hollow 'of vulcanized rubber; and the object of my improvement is to provide a novel construction of pessary in the class referred to, whereby it shall be better adapted, by resilient action, to maintain itself in its position of use without exerting, for the purpose, harmful or discomforting pressure.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a pessary of my improved construction; and Figs. 2 and 3 are sections taken, respectively, on the lines 2 and 3, Fig. 1.

The open body Il is of general rectangular shape, with its outer sides slightly concave and its base 5 outwardly convex about a cylindrically-tubular center 6, which projects beyond the base for the purpose hereinafter explained. The upper edges of the walls of the body are longitudinally concave and form the protruding horn-like corners 7, 8, 9 and 10. The inner faces of the horns as also those of the wall-sections between them converge inwardly toward the center of the body to a circular section 11, from the base or outer end of which the tube 6 extends, the aforesaid inner faces forming an upwardly-flaring seat conforming to and seating the part of the body of the user of the pessary to which it is applied, and the section l1 being adapted to receive the outer portion of that part.

The appliance, as thus far described, is formed entire, by molding, of vulcanized rubber, with the body-portion hollow to produce an air-chamber 12, extending throughout it, the walls of which are adequately thick to be rendered, in their permanently air-inflated condition, sufficiently resilient to yieldingly hug the parts to which the supporter is applied. The body-portion, as thus constructed, presents the advantage of being in anatomical harmony with the parts of the human body surrounded by it in its operative position, wherein the protruding end of the tube 6 is intended for the attachment of a holder, as a suitable sack, preferably of thin rubber (not shown), in which to confine medicament, as ointment, or cotton saturated with a proper medicinal agent, in position to act remedially; and the interior of the body-portion of the appliance conforms to the parts which enter it.' The pessary, therefore, perfectly performs its supporting function. However, the resilient force of the walls, which is depended on to effect the adherence, by pressure about the neck-portion of the uterus, of the pessary in place, is not sufiicient to insure that result, but requires to be supplemented in a inanner that will avoid the exertion of excessive or harmful pressure by the supporterI while adequately reinforcing the resilient holding action of its body-portion; and the means I have devised for the purpose, and which may be provided on any construction of inflated rubber pessary, including the construction illustrated and hereinbefore described, constitutes the salient feature of my improvement. It consists in providing the body-portion, as an integral or permanent part thereof, with anlelastic band, surrounding it and in a condition of tension somewhat superior to that of the walls of the structure, whereby their tension is reinforced by the superior tension of the band to an extent that will increase their holding pressure to adequately augment the clinging property of the pessary. This band, which is represented at 13, is preferably composed of vulcanized rubber. I provide it on the pessary by stretching it about the walls of its body-portion and permanently uniting it therewith, as by cementaton at the corners, as' indicated at 14.

I/Vhat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In combination, an inflated rubber pessary, and a permanently tensioned elastic band surrounding and secured to its bodyportion, for the purpose set forth.

2. In combination, an iniated rubber pessary comprising a hollow body-portion formed with concave outer sides, horn-like corners with the upper ends of the walls extending between them concaved and the inner faces of said corners and walls converging toward the center of the body-portion to a cylindrical section thereof, and a tubular center projecting beyond the body-portion from said section, and a tensioned elastic band surrounding said body-portion and secured to the corner-portions thereof, for the purpose Set forth.

3. In combination, an inflated rubber pessary Comprising a. hollow body portion formed with concave outer sides, horn-like corners with the upper ends of the Walls eX- tendng between them oonceved and the nner faces of said corners and Wells converging toward the Center of the body-portion to a cylindrical section thereof, a convex base,

und u tubular center projecting beyond the bese from said section, and a tensoned rubber band surrounding seid body-portion and secured thereto at its corner-portions, for the purpose set forth.

J. G. ANDERSON, R. A. RAYMOND. 

